5 Modes Of Transportation
...it is necessary to
have a sophisticated and widespread transportation system. This system is made
up of five primary areas of transportation, which are:
- Motor vehicles
- Railroad transportation
- Air transportation
- Water transportation
- Pipelines
Each of these five modes consists of different subsystems which make up the
system. Each mode is used to transport persons or goods, but in many instances,
one mode may be favored over the others. All five modes require some primary
source of funds for building and maintaining the infrastructure. These funds
may come from a number of different places such as the federal government, state,
or the city through which the system runs. Different government agencies have
jurisdiction over the modes. These agencies focus on maintaining and improving
safety of each system. The individual states also have certain obligations to
the operation and regulation of the different modes of transportation.
Each mode is made up of primary subsystems. The subsystems of railroad
transportation include freight trains and passenger trains. Freight trains are
used to transport goods and materials between cities while passenger trains are
used to transport people. Although freight trains are still used all across the
nation, rail intercity freight has accounted for a decreasing share of the total
ton mileage over the past 30 years. This is mostly due to the increase in truck
transport. Rail passenger traffic had also declined over the years until better
service was offered by Amtrak and the price of fuel increased. Much of the
decline in rail passenger traffic has been due to the increasing number of...
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